Fire starters who want to be heroes typically don't risk themselves, that's the whole point. They WANT to be heroes, but without any real risk or damage to themselves (or loss of property that's not insured). Everything here seems believable on its face. /shrug

hardinparamedic:FTFA: The volunteer with Clackamas County Search and Rescue helped seven people escape. His mom, aunt, uncle, sister, nephew and two neighbors all got away safely.

Wait. FARK tells me all the time that people like that aren't heroes, they're just "doing their job" and don't deserve special recognition!

Dicks.

Here's hoping this guy pulls through. If anyone's a hero, it's this guy. He made a decision to risk his own life, in an overwhelming degree of dangers, to sacrifice so that others may live.

Actually it's the Fark Libertarians who do that, and it's only when the person is being paid by some government to do that job, aka cop, firefighter etc. This person was a volunteer thus they'll have no problem throwing the hero label.

poe_zlaw:Was he frantically trying to save everyone because he felt bad for starting the fire?

FTA: "Zeller noticed the fire by his office in the garage."

I reckon he was futzing around in the garage and did something stupid. Probably batted at the flames for a bit, then said, "oh, shiat" and then started getting folks out. If he'd just started the evac immediately, he'd probably not have been burned.

Actually OP, we do NOT all like to use the word "hero". I absolutely despise when people use that word. TRUE heroes are very few and far between and calling others heroes just diminishes it.

To me, a hero truly goes above and beyond which usually puts their life in harms way (and it is by choice, a true hero isn't just doing something to save themselves, or doing something that most anyone in the situation would do out of necessity).

I'm sorry, but just because you took a job in the armed forces, police department, etc... you are not a hero. Maybe you did it to help others out, for patriotism, etc... and those are great reasons, but it does not automatically make you a hero.

of all the batshiat crazy folks that live here, this guy really is a hero. don't know him, but damn. guy is in intensive care. If people want to throw poop, then go ahead, I hope you die in a fire.(Had one start once....Keeping a cool head and thinking about what to do is priceless)

ggecko:Actually OP, we do NOT all like to use the word "hero". I absolutely despise when people use that word. TRUE heroes are very few and far between and calling others heroes just diminishes it.

To me, a hero truly goes above and beyond which usually puts their life in harms way (and it is by choice, a true hero isn't just doing something to save themselves, or doing something that most anyone in the situation would do out of necessity).

I'm sorry, but just because you took a job in the armed forces, police department, etc... you are not a hero. Maybe you did it to help others out, for patriotism, etc... and those are great reasons, but it does not automatically make you a hero.

ggecko:Actually OP, we do NOT all like to use the word "hero". I absolutely despise when people use that word. TRUE heroes are very few and far between and calling others heroes just diminishes it.

To me, a hero truly goes above and beyond which usually puts their life in harms way (and it is by choice, a true hero isn't just doing something to save themselves, or doing something that most anyone in the situation would do out of necessity).

I'm sorry, but just because you took a job in the armed forces, police department, etc... you are not a hero. Maybe you did it to help others out, for patriotism, etc... and those are great reasons, but it does not automatically make you a hero.

You would think that a firefighter even a volunteer firefighter would know the damaging effects of smoke. It kills more people than the flames! Get low and cover your mouth!Real hero stuff going for the others. But he could have done it like he was trained to.

ggecko:Actually OP, we do NOT all like to use the word "hero". I absolutely despise when people use that word. TRUE heroes are very few and far between and calling others heroes just diminishes it.

To me, a hero truly goes above and beyond which usually puts their life in harms way (and it is by choice, a true hero isn't just doing something to save themselves, or doing something that most anyone in the situation would do out of necessity).

I'm sorry, but just because you took a job in the armed forces, police department, etc... you are not a hero. Maybe you did it to help others out, for patriotism, etc... and those are great reasons, but it does not automatically make you a hero.

Clemkadidlefark:ggecko: Actually OP, we do NOT all like to use the word "hero". I absolutely despise when people use that word. TRUE heroes are very few and far between and calling others heroes just diminishes it.

To me, a hero truly goes above and beyond which usually puts their life in harms way (and it is by choice, a true hero isn't just doing something to save themselves, or doing something that most anyone in the situation would do out of necessity).

I'm sorry, but just because you took a job in the armed forces, police department, etc... you are not a hero. Maybe you did it to help others out, for patriotism, etc... and those are great reasons, but it does not automatically make you a hero.

The Stealth Hippopotamus:You would think that a firefighter even a volunteer firefighter would know the damaging effects of smoke. It kills more people than the flames! Get low and cover your mouth!Real hero stuff going for the others. But he could have done it like he was trained to.

Also, that being said, I hate to be a "Negative Nancy" here, but he's not going to survive. If you burn your lungs, which from the sounds of it, he did - you're usually a goner in 3-4 days. Burned lungs don't heal well at all.

And depending on the percentage of his body that is burned, he's set up for infection(s), which usually prove to be fatal.

The article doesn't say the percentage of his body that sustained burns, but typically, burns that cover 30% - 40% of the body result in death.

Look at the palm of your hand - that's considered to be roughly 1% of your skin. Doesn't take long to add up the surface area.

Mock26:Yeah! Because everyone knows that that soldier who spent his time safely at an air base predicting the weather is a hero!

Dick

One of these things is not like the other. Off-duty Firefigher who had no protective equipment choosing to disregard his own safety to save the lives of others is not the same as Rescue Randy lounging in the Station while it happens.

hardinparamedic:Mock26: Yeah! Because everyone knows that that soldier who spent his time safely at an air base predicting the weather is a hero!

Dick

One of these things is not like the other. Off-duty Firefigher who had no protective equipment choosing to disregard his own safety to save the lives of others is not the same as Rescue Randy lounging in the Station while it happens.

.Marine who jumps in a hummer and decides to re-enact a HALO level and tapdance on the head of the Talbian while saving dozens of lives is not the same as Weatherman Steve

See. If you had watched Sesame Street as a kid, instead of Bernie's Right Wing Christian Jihad hour on TBN, you'd know that.

Still not a hero. It was his job, as was mine when I was in the Corps...

hardinparamedic:FTFA: The volunteer with Clackamas County Search and Rescue helped seven people escape. His mom, aunt, uncle, sister, nephew and two neighbors all got away safely.

Wait. FARK tells me all the time that people like that aren't heroes, they're just "doing their job" and don't deserve special recognition!

Dicks.

Here's hoping this guy pulls through. If anyone's a hero, it's this guy. He made a decision to risk his own life, in an overwhelming degree of dangers, to sacrifice so that others may live.

What Fark tells you, if you'd care to listen, is that some people have careers which give them more opportunities to act heroically. When they do, they are just as much a hero as someone who isn't so employed. You seem to be confusing Fark with the the dipshiates who think that just because you have more opportunities to act heroically that you automagically become one.

ggecko:Actually OP, we do NOT all like to use the word "hero". I absolutely despise when people use that word. TRUE heroes are very few and far between and calling others heroes just diminishes it.

To me, a hero truly goes above and beyond which usually puts their life in harms way (and it is by choice, a true hero isn't just doing something to save themselves, or doing something that most anyone in the situation would do out of necessity).

I'm sorry, but just because you took a job in the armed forces, police department, etc... you are not a hero. Maybe you did it to help others out, for patriotism, etc... and those are great reasons, but it does not automatically make you a hero.

This is exactly what I came in here to say. I feel bad for being so cynical, but these are the lessons the world has taught me. Sometimes people set fires so they can be a hero, sometimes nurses cause medical emergencies so they can experience the drama of a "code". These things happen. Hope that this time it's not the case and the guy gets better, but I've frequently been taught not to hope.